What's chowder without milk or cream? After reading Mark Kurlansky's "The Last Fish Tale" I'm happy to say it's "authentic." When there was no milk or cream to be had in the Northeastern United States, you used water. So this chowder, cooked for me by lovely people in PEI, was a … [Read more...] about Dairy-free Mussel Chowder
Fish and Seafood
More Salad for the Lemon-Anchovy Vinaigrette
When you're one person you end up with leftover salad dressing often. You can't toss the whole salad with the dressing like you want, but you also don't have to make a new dressing every day. The lemon-anchovy vinaigrette lasts about 3 days in the fridge, so on day two I chopped … [Read more...] about More Salad for the Lemon-Anchovy Vinaigrette
A Summer Salad: Sugar Snap Pea and Red Peppers with Lemon-Anchovy Vinaigrette
First, a note: Don't get scared off by anchovies. The fish flavour isn't strong. Mostly it's just there to add salt and...depth? Try it and you'll understand. It's the "umami" of the dish. The lemon zest completely overwhelms it. Imagine that it was called "Lemon Vinaigrette with … [Read more...] about A Summer Salad: Sugar Snap Pea and Red Peppers with Lemon-Anchovy Vinaigrette
Nordic Shrimp Creole adapted from the New York Times Cookbook
Nordic as in the shrimp, not as in the flavours of the recipe. There's no sour cream or dill involved, thank goodness. Just lots of tomatoes, peppers, celery and onions with salty capers, bright lemon peel, warming cloves and calming thyme. There's also eggplant to give it a lot … [Read more...] about Nordic Shrimp Creole adapted from the New York Times Cookbook
Lemon Risotto with Zucchini and Parsley
How did spring pass into summer without me making a single risotto? It's the ultimate spring comfort food and so perfect with seasonal asparagus and mushrooms. Every magazine and blog worth its salt seems to have featured it, except me. I use Hawaiian pink salt for goodness sake. … [Read more...] about Lemon Risotto with Zucchini and Parsley
Sustainable Nordic Shrimp with Mandarin Powder and Smoked Chili Aioli
You shouldn't be intimidated by things with names like "mandarin powder" and "aioli." The former is nothing but orange zest and sugar and the latter basically a mayonnaise that's traditionally made with garlic and without eggs, but now is commonly used to refer to any flavoured … [Read more...] about Sustainable Nordic Shrimp with Mandarin Powder and Smoked Chili Aioli
The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
I do not take a pie challenge lightly. My friend had a BBQ and announced that her boyfriend would be making pie from scratch. I would normally think this laughable, but the last time I questioned his baking abilities he ended up making a painted, shingled, and stained-glass … [Read more...] about The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Mandarin Orange-Balsamic Roasted Turbot with Grilled Lettuce
This is based on a recipe for Arctic char with grilled romaine, grapes and balsamic vinegar from Becky Selengut's "Good Fish." Except I didn't have any grapes. Or a grill. Or romaine. I had oranges and Boston lettuce. You really can't make this with delicate red oak, but a firm … [Read more...] about Mandarin Orange-Balsamic Roasted Turbot with Grilled Lettuce
Sea Urchin (Uni Sushi) and Sea Snail Salad
Have you ever cut open a sea urchin before? I have - twice. It's a very messy, ugly thing. The green spines are a little prickley, but that's not the worst of it. You take a pair of scissors and cut from the top halfway down the body vertically, then you cut horizontally all the … [Read more...] about Sea Urchin (Uni Sushi) and Sea Snail Salad
Crab Season, the Atwater Market, and Sweet Crab Sushi
Spring is such a short-lived luxury season. There are fiddleheads, there are asparagus, and then there are crab, sea urchin and sea snails. I like them all, but I like them more because they're so short-lived. Just three or four weeks max for my favourite sea urchins, and already … [Read more...] about Crab Season, the Atwater Market, and Sweet Crab Sushi